From returning to the skies in a new paint job to fly for another airline, to being recycled for parts or being moved to an aircraft boneyard, the possibilities for retired planes are seemingly endless.
Some have been converted into restaurants, museums, cafes and even party venues. But this private jet turned luxury villa, located on top of a cliff near Nyang-Nyang Beach on the Indonesian island of Bali, might just be one of the most beautiful aircraft transformations to date.
Formerly part of the defunct Mandala Airlines fleet, the retired Boeing 737 was purchased by developer Felix Demin in 2021 and transported to its remote location.
Demin has shared a series of renderings of the unique property, which will be available for rent starting in April.
With two bedrooms and a pool, the Private Jet Villa by Hanging Gardens which is 150 meters above sea level, will be available for rent starting in April, with rates starting at US$7,000 (approximately R$26,000).
Jet turned villa
Demin, who also owns the Bubble Hotel Bali hotel chain, says he initially considered buying a private jet for personal use, but quickly saw the potential to transform the aircraft into something truly special.
“Even before I bought it, I thought it was possible to convert it into some kind of unique object and decided to focus on creating a village,” he says, before explaining that he found about 20 similar planes located in Indonesia alone while looked for.
Denim ended up buying a Boeing 737 that had been bought by an Indonesian investor.
However, transporting the aircraft from its location in Bali to the top of a cliff several kilometers away was no easy task.
“We had to dismantle it after consulting the Boeing team”, explained the entrepreneur. “We loosened 50,000 screws.”
According to Demin, who has lived in Bali for about eight years, the whole process took about two months of planning, while the transport itself, which involved two cranes, a huge platform, several specialists and a police escort, took a total of five days.
“It was the sleepiest five days of my life,” he says, adding that much of the operation took place at night.
delicate position
“The fact is that Bali has very narrow roads and a lot of wires hanging very low,” he says. “We had a group of people use special equipment to lift the wires higher so the plane wouldn’t touch them during transport.”
After the plane was reassembled on site on the south coast of Bali, he was able to remove much of the interior to complete the lengthy refurbishment job. Demin says he went to great lengths to ensure the interior lived up to his original vision.
“I want people to experience the ‘wow effect’ of every second of being in this unusual place,” he says.
The villa can be accessed by a staircase that goes up along the wing to the main entrance.
Inside, there is a living room with a bar, sofa bed and glass doorway, as well as two bedrooms with a walk-in closet.
The cockpit has been converted into a large bathroom, with additional portholes added so that those inside can see “overboard”.
The property also features lounge chairs, an outdoor lounge and a fire pit.
“Everything was done with the sole aim of getting exactly the originally planned image,” adds Demin.
“Instagrammable”
The unique design has garnered a lot of attention on social media since it was first revealed, which has led to some rather unusual incidents at the site.
“One day I came and saw a broken fence and 150 people sitting on our plane,” says Demin, before describing how a paraglider once jumped off the plane’s wing.
While Demin stresses that the aircraft has gone through numerous security checks, its precarious position, as well as the various images shared of influencers walking along the wing or with their legs dangling out the plane’s door, have certainly raised eyebrows.
Demin explains that a barrier has been installed in the rock for security purposes. But he says he had trouble recruiting someone to install a glass barrier on a wing positioned over a cliff.
“The big problem is the glass barrier along the contour of the wing itself and along the contour of the rock,” he says, admitting that “everyone is scared to do that.”
“There are some difficulties with this, in particular, with the wing. But we will anyway, as soon as we find someone who is brave enough to implement it.”
After years of hard work on the project, Demin is looking forward to finally welcoming guests to the villa by private jet, which is set to open its doors in April.
It comes a year after a decommissioned British Airways jet was reborn as an exclusive event space for hire based at the UK’s private Cotswold Airport.
Meanwhile, the Jumbo Stay Hotel, a former Boeing 747 converted into a hostel/hotel, opened near Arlanda Airport in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2009.
Source: CNN Brasil
Johanna Foster is an expert opinion writer with over 7 years of experience. She has a reputation for delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles on a variety of subjects. Her work can be found on some of the top online news websites, and she is currently lending her voice to the world stock market.
